"The Persistence of Memory" is a 1931 painting by artist Salvador Dalí, and one of his most recognizable works. First shown at the Julien Levy Gallery in 1932, the painting has been in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City since 1934.

The well-known surrealist piece introduces the image of the soft melting pocket watch. It embodies what Dalí called the "paranoiac-critical method" of accessing the subconscious for greater artistic creativity. The painting depicts four clocks in a desert landscape: three appear to be melting, while the fourth is covered with ants.

Dalí included the rocky outcrops of the coast of Catalonia in the background. The creature in the center of the painting resembles Dalí's own profile. When asked about the melting clocks, Dalí said they were inspired by watching Camembert cheese melt in the sun.